Talk down to me: 13 songs with spoken word interludes

One recurring element in pop music that never fails to amuse me is something I call a “talk down,” in which the artist stops singing and opts instead for a mid-song spoken word interlude that lays it all out for the listener.

Primarily used in doo wop (and subsequently doo wop parodies), this characteristic still occasionally appears in other genres. While its usage can sometimes border on cheesy, there are a select few examples that deserve our attention. I’ve compiled 13 of these best “talk down” songs, and you can listen via individual links or the Spotify playlist below:

Clearly indebted to doo wop, this 1970 song by The Velvet Underground uses Lou Reed’s spoken vocals to a beautiful effect as he plaintively describes how he walked “down life’s lonely highways, hand in hand with myself.”

Perhaps the most nonsensical “talk down” of the bunch, Glass Candy vocalist Ida No's words seem rather... addled during the middle portion of the song. She's willing to accept “that heart to heart, whenever you’re ready,” and assured that her listeners “came from heaven...to fill out the dark corners with your everlasting light.”

A bizarre riff on The Seekers’ “Georgy Girl,” Mike D’s off-key wails of love are complemented by his spoken word section, proclaiming how he would “win the whole prize...skee ball tickets for you.” Mike D would later marry Tamra Davis, the director of the music video.